How ‘Elvis’ Director Baz Luhrmann Used His Lifelong Love of the King to Make His Big, Bold Semi-Biopic –

this story about “Elvis Presley” Director Baz Luhrmann first appeared in TheWrap Awards Magazine’s “The Race Begins” issue.

He starts with Elvis Presley as a metaphor and ends up staring at the person Elvis Presley. At least that’s how Baz Luhrmann described his journey with “Elvis,” a lavish semi-biographical film about a poor kid from Tupelo who shocked the world, became the king of rock ‘n’ roll, got it all, and threw it all away On drugs, lethargy and bad movies, every once in a while, it all comes back.

A musical epic spanning over 2 hours and 39 minutes, featuring Austin Butler’s improbable rendition of Elvis Presley and Tom Hanks’ curious rendition of his brilliantly manipulative and predatory manager, Colonel Tom Parker, “Elvis Presley” And Bold, and Silly and Messy, Kind of Brilliant, an unbridled take on the Elvis story, sold so spectacularly that it made $286 million in theaters after its Cannes premiere.

When we started our Zoom interview, I couldn’t resist showing Luhrmann a large orange cloth.

I have to tell you, I’m a little older than you, and I saw Elvis at the 1976 concert.
Do not! Where?

at the Anaheim Convention Center in Southern California. Before that, my wife had seen him in 1973, sat in the front row and picked up his scarf. So this thing in my hand is an authentic Elvis scarf.
stop! Gosh, ’73 would be so much fun. It was the Hawaii special and it was the last time he really, really looked great. Then he’d turn it off, like, “I’m tired of playing Elvis.”

Yes. When I saw him in ’76, it wasn’t a good show. But the song “Fever” has an amazing moment. He was Elvis for those three minutes, and then he was gone.
That’s why I ended the film my way (Elvis did a brilliant performance of “Unchained Melody” in his last concert before his death in 1977). Manor, everyone, tried to hide that shot. I really had to struggle to put it in because they were like, “Oh my god, we want to kill those images.” And I said, “No, no, you don’t get it. Yeah, the body is corrupt. It’s a mess when he plays the piano, he can barely stand up. But when he sings, he probably sings the best song he’s ever sung in his life.” Then he looked at the audience and smiled, Austin smiled, and we Got Elvis.

the story continues

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Did Elvis Presley’s music exist in your life before this, or was he just a guy on the radio and bad movies?
I keep revisiting this. We lived in this remote country town (Herons Creek, NSW, Australia) during my teenage years. While making the film, I was very interested in Elvis Presley as a canvas. My motivation is more like Shakespeare took Richard II to explore a bigger idea, or “Amadeus” – yes, it’s about Salieri and Mozart, and Salieri had Mozart write the Requiem To kill his ego is ridiculous. But it allows you to explore the larger concept of jealousy. That’s where I start—Colonel Parker and Elvis are the selling point and soul of America.

It wasn’t until after I made this movie that I realized how he had been there for me at so many moments in my life, whether it was when I was a kid, ballroom dancing in a country town, and demanding The guy playing “Burning Love” because it really keeps people going, or my grandmother making white jumpsuits for Latin dance. Then I remembered that at the movie theater my dad ran, we always had an Elvis matinee. So I had a fanatic, and when I was younger, when I got into Bowie, Artaud, and Brecht, I kind of hid it because if you’re doing Bertolt Brecht, it’s not cool to love Elvis.

What interests you is Elvis as a canvas, as a metaphor. However, unless you can also show us Elvis as a person, the movie won’t work.
you’re right. I don’t think we would have achieved this without Austin. He lived 24/7 Elvis for two years. His work ethic is on another level, he discovers the humanity, empathy and inner life of Elvis – a shy, geeky, insecure kid who was so ashamed when his father went to jail, He lives in a house in a black neighborhood, one of the few white people, but he also has trucker sideburns, which were in vogue even before the word came out. He was bullied and attacked – but he didn’t back down, he went the extra mile.

You’re also kind of doubling down: there are plenty of times when you’re happily free-handed on real events in Elvis’ life.
Uh-huh. I moved the time and place and did what we call a press. Peter Brooke, the theatre director who wrote a book called “The Empty Space,” said, “Look, if the French 1840s pointe shoes make you feel a certain way, change the shape of the shoes. You have to show that you are there. what it feels like to be around.” So, what was it like being with Elvis? It’s hard to really imagine the horror he inflicted on the older generation.

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It’s funny because at Cannes where your film premiered, I spent some time with Riley Keough (actress and daughter of Lisa Marie, Elvis’ only child). I asked her if she was bothered by the way it changed the facts, and she said she loved it because it treated her grandfather and her family with such respect. too crazy.
I saw family members early on and then became estranged from them due to the pandemic. They couldn’t decide on anything, but (Elvis Presley’s ex-wife), Priscilla, took it for granted, “Well, Buzz might be a little weird. What is he going to do with our lives, how can this kid be my husband?” And then We showed them, but the screening was while I was flying to LA, and I had some horrible screenings, but my stomach was turning. When my plane landed, I called the theater and security was there. I said, “Has Priscilla left?” The guard said, “No, she’s still crying inside.”

I got an email a few hours later and that was the best moment of the whole trip. She said, “I know I’m hard on you,” and then she went on to say other things that I won’t share. That’s weightlifting. We all made it to Memphis and we had a BBQ in the back of Graceland. (laugh) Can you imagine drinking cocktails in a jungle room?

Read more about the Race Begins problem here.

It’s funny because at the Cannes premiere of your movie, I spent some time with Riley Keough (daughter of actress and Elvis’ only child, Lisa Marie). I asked her if she was bothered by the way it changed the facts and she said she liked it because it treated her grandfather and her family with such respect. too crazy. I saw their families very early, and then because of the epidemic, I became a little estranged from them. They can’t call the shots, but (Elvis’ ex-wife) Priscilla might think, “Well, Buzz might be a little weird. What is he going to do with our lives, how can this kid do with my husband?” And we Showed them but the screening was on my way to LA and I had some horrible screenings but my stomach was rolling. When my plane landed, I called the theater and there was a security guard there. I said, “Is Priscilla gone?” The guard said, “No, she’s still crying inside.” I got an email a few hours later, and it was the best moment of the whole trip. She said, ‘I know I’m being hard on you,’ and she went on to say other things that I’m not going to share. This is weightlifting. We all ended up in Memphis for a BBQ at the back of Graceland. (laughs) Can you imagine having a cocktail in the Jungle Room?